There is good use made of Hand-Granadoes in Assaults and Boarding of Ships; these are made upon a Mould made of Twine, and covered over with Cartridge Paper and Musket Bullets cut in two, put with Past and bits of Paper thick on the out-side. After you have doubled the Shells, past on some at a time, and let it dry, and put some more until it be quite full; then dip it in scalding Rossen or Pitch and hang it up and it is for your use: But you must have the innermost end of the Twine left out, and before you pitch it you must draw out the Twine and stop the hole, and then pitch it.
To Load them, fill these shells with Gun-Powder, then make a Fuze of one pound of Gun-Powder and six Ounces of Salt-Petre and one of Charcoal, and fill the Fuze; then knock it up to the head within one quarter of an inch, which is only to find it by night.
Stop the rest of the holes well with soft Wax; your first Shells must be coated with Pitch and Hurds lest it should break with the fall; and be sure when you have fired the Fuze, suddenly cast it out of your hand, and it will do good execution.
Fire-Pots and Balls to throw out of Mens hands may be made of Potters-Clay with Ears to hang lighted Matches to them; if they light on a hard thing they break and the Matches fire the Powder, and the half Musket Bullets contrived on them, as in the last Chapter, disperse and do much mischief.
Their mixture is of Powder, Petre, Sulpher, Sal Armoniack of each one pound, and four Ounces of Camphire pounded and searced and mixt well together, with hot Pitch, Linseed Oyl or Oyl of Petre; prove it first by burning a small quantity, and if it be too slow add more Powder, or if it be too quick then put more Oyl or Rosin, and then it is for your use.
You must nail two Boards together like the ridge of a House, and prepare one Board longer and broader for the bottom: Between these three Boards put a Cartridge of Powder, then make it up like a Sea-Chest and fill it with pibble Stones, Nails, Stubbs of old Iron; then nail on the Cover and the ends to the Deck, in such a place as you may fire the Powder underneath through a hole made to put a Pistol in: These are very useful to anoy an Enemy if they Board you.
Take Gun-Powder 10 l. of black Pitch 6 l. of Tarr 20 l. Salt-Petre 8l. Sulpher Calafornia 4 l. melt these over a soft Fire together, and being well melted put 2 l. of Cole dust of the Filings of Horses Hoofs 6 l. Assa F�tida 3 l. Sagapenum 1 l. Spatula F�tida half a l. Incorporate them well together and put into this matter so prepared old Linnen or Wollen Cloath, or Hemp or Tow as much as will drink up all this matter, and of these make them up in Balls of what bigness you please, and being thrown between Decks will be a great annoyance to the Enemy.
Transcribed by Lars Bruzelius
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